Custom AI agents for operations
AI OPERATOR + SECURITY LEADER
I take your idea from zero to ten.
MVP. Product-market fit. First traction. Built with AI, security-first thinking, and the speed that comes from having done this before.
For founders, solo builders, and early teams who need to stop planning and start shipping.
WHAT I DO
Three things. That's all it takes to go from nothing to something real.
You don’t need a dev shop. You don’t need another advisor. You need a builder who’s actually done this before.
Everything starts with the Discovery Sprint. No exceptions.
THE DISCOVERY SPRINT™
The Discovery Sprint™
A validated blueprint for your startup. 2–4 weeks.
I built the Discovery Sprint because every founder I worked with was making the same mistake: building before validating. They had assumptions, not data. Opinions, not signals. The Sprint replaces guesswork with a reality-tested foundation.
What You Get
Problem Validation
- Market reality check
- Competitive landscape analysis
- ICP definition & refinement
- Customer interview synthesis
Solution Architecture
- MVP scope definition
- Tech stack decisions
- Build vs. buy analysis
- Integration mapping
AI Integration Map
- Where AI creates leverage vs. liability
- Agent architecture planning
- Data pipeline design
- Risk assessment
Security Foundation
- Data architecture & auth design
- Compliance baseline (SOC 2, HIPAA if applicable)
- Agent governance framework
- Threat model
Launch Roadmap
- 30-60-90 day execution plan
- Milestone definitions
- Resource requirements
- Success metrics
What’s Not Included
- No pitch decks
- No vaporware
- No strategy docs that collect dust
- No handoffs to junior devs
- No meetings that should have been emails
You walk away with a validated direction and a buildable blueprint. Not another slide deck.
BUILD & LAUNCH
The Build & Launch
Your operator. Your builder. Your first technical co-founder.
After the Sprint, some founders try to build alone. A few pull it off. Most can’t. Not because they’re incapable, but because building an MVP takes pattern recognition and technical judgment that only comes from doing this repeatedly.
What’s Included
- MVP development (AI-assisted, security-first)
- Product iteration based on real user feedback
- AI workflow deployment & integration
- Technical leadership and architecture decisions
- Launch execution and first-traction playbooks
- Weekly operating cadence with clear milestones
Not a dev shop. Not an advisor. A builder who’s been through it and has the scars to prove it.
AI SYSTEMS LAYER
AI Systems Layer
Your AI team-in-a-box. Applied only when the foundation is ready.
AI is the accelerant, not the foundation. Tools without strategy are expensive toys.
Available Modules
Automated competitive intelligence
Content and marketing engines
Data pipeline automation
Security and governance frameworks
Customer intelligence systems
These systems plug into your foundation, not into chaos.
MY POV
Startups don't fail because of bad ideas.
They fail because they build before they validate. They ship before they think. They scale before they have signal.
I've built companies from zero. Raised millions. Grown to 650,000 users. Been acquired.
I've also watched companies burn through runway building the wrong thing.
Zero to ten is not about speed. It's about building the right thing, the right way, from day one.
AI makes it faster. Security makes it durable. Experience makes it possible.
MEET THE OPERATOR
The person behind the system.
I’m Rick. I break things for a living, then build them better.
18 years as a hacker, founder, and operator. DEFCON stage at 20. Y-Combinator backed. Built browser security platforms used by Coinbase, Uber, and Gemini. Grew a company from zero to 650,000+ daily users. Co-founded a business that hit 70% profitability before acquisition by Hagerty.
I’ve been the first hire, the CEO, the CTO, and the guy awake at 3am because production is down. I know what zero feels like. I know what ten looks like.
Now I use everything I’ve learned, plus AI that actually works, to help founders skip the mistakes I made and get to traction faster.
PROOF & PATTERNS
Selected Wins
05
Built a privacy-first wellness platform processing real-time wearable data at scale
What Successful Founders Do
- Validate before they build
- Ship fast, learn faster
- Treat AI as a tool, not a strategy
- Build security in from day one
- Focus on one thing until it works
What Struggling Founders Do
- Build for 12 months before talking to a customer
- Chase every AI trend
- Ignore security until it's a crisis
- Hire a dev shop instead of a builder
- Confuse activity with progress
WHO I WORK WITH
Who I Work With
I work best with founders who:
- Have a real problem they've experienced firsthand
- Are ready to move, not still "exploring"
- Value speed and clarity over process theater
- Understand that building means making hard choices
- Want a partner, not a vendor
I don’t work with founders who:
- Want a pitch deck, not a product
- Need six meetings before making a decision
- Think AI is a magic wand, not a tool
- Are looking for the cheapest option
- Aren't willing to do the work alongside me
If you want honesty, speed, and systems that actually work, let’s build.